July 6th, 2012

Categories: economic justice, Funds, Medicaid

Oregon is one of the only states in the country where Medicaid covers abortion for low-income women and girls. This year, a group launched a ballot initiative campaign to ban Medicaid funding of abortion, circulating petitions and raising money to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall.

Yesterday, the campaign's sponsors announced that they failed to gather even half the number of petition signatures necessary to get the question on the ballot this November -- so for the time being, Medicaid funding for abortion in Oregon is safe!

This is good news for people in Oregon, where a large percentage of women live in rural areas and over 75% of the state lacks any abortion provider at all. The Network of Reproductive Options, founded in 2002 in response to the closing of southern Oregon's only independent abortion clinic, helps provide a safety net for people who cannot afford an abortion or cannot afford the travel costs. They are also part of a robust Pro-Choice Coalition in Oregon that worked to defeat the ballot initiative. Great work!